Disneyland Winter break

Hey, so I will be in LA (Manhattan Beach) with family from December 24-31. I will have two days to go to the parks, and I'm probably going to get a two day base ticket for my family of four (including me). Here are my many questions:

-Which days should i go to which park? (I know from Christmas to New years Is probably the worst time to go, but are there better days?)

-How should I navigate the parks both DL and CA? (IE:what fastpasses/rides and when)

-Just how to deal with the crowds?

-I want to see Fantasmic, and World of Color, so when and how should I do that?

-The only Holiday thing I want to do is Haunted Mansion, so just any tips for holiday stuff?

Thank you so much in advance!

Going to move this to the main forum since we now live in Orlando and don't really go to Disneyland resort that much.

You'd have more fun shoving a pine cone in your rear end than going to Disneyland anytime that week. Disneyland will be nearly impossible to walk around in. CA Adv wont be as bad but still godawful. I HIGHLY recommend saving your money or going another time if at all possible.

If you're absolutely 100% deadset on going, though, I'll do my best to help.

DISNEYLAND--get Space Mountain FPs first, followed by Indiana Jones and then Big Thunder Mtn (assuming its too cold for Splash Mountain). Indy has a single rider line as well, as does Matterhorn. Not sure what the deal is with Haunted Mansion FP during the holidays. Avoid Pirates during mid-afternoon. Hit Fantasyland dark rides late at night. 11-12 the park slows down greatly so use that time to your advantage. Famtasmic is first-come first-serve seating, and people camp out in their spots as early as 3 pm...you may get lucky and nab a standing spot later but I doubt it and you'll still have to wait around a couple hours.

CA--get there before opening and rush to get RSR FP's...you MUST do this within an hour of park opening. RSR also has a single rider line but that can get lengthy. After RSR FP, you can get a FP for World of Color, which is essentially a reservation to see it; these are located at the entrance to Grizzly River Run. I would grab Soarin FPs as soon as RSR's FP allows you to, then Tower of Terror after that. Hit Paradise Pier early in the morning. Screamin, Goofy Sky School, and Soarin have single rider lines also.

Keep in mind that ALL single rider lines are subject to close if they become too long so don't rely 100% on them. You will be able to get some rides done but walking around will be torture at times so prepare for the worst. If your expectations are in check you can have a good time...but nevertheless I would wait to go at another time if possible.

Ouch. You're going at the worst possible time when it comes to avoiding the crowds. Everyone and their mother is going to be there in that time-span; heck, I'll probably be there too if I trick myself into going when my friends go. But, seeing that most of its rides should be operational at that time, you'll at least have "some" walking room.

-The best time to go during that time period is actually on the holidays themselves, Christmas and New Year's Day. Unless families planned on going to Dinseyland for Christmas, the crowds shouldn't be unbearable... just a smidgen under that. People will be so wasted on New Year's Eve booze that they'll be hung-over come New Year's Day, so that will trim the crowds a bit as well. Otherwise, pick your poison; every day in-between is all the same to me. Monday & Tuesday would probably be your best bet since people still work, no matter what holiday it is.

-Both parks still run on the old FastPass system, so if you've been to Orlando recently, you're in for a shock. If you plan on getting any sort of pass for your favorite rides, run. Seriously, you're gonna have to run if you want passes for any e-ticket attractions, including all of the mountains, Indy, Tower of Terror, Screamin' and Soarin'. Unless you arrive early, don't even bother getting passes for Radiator Springs Racers; you'll be better off just getting in line first thing.

-Speaking of getting there early, that's the best way of avoiding crowds... initially. I learned a while ago that although the date you go plays a factor, the time you get there is even more so. If your family is willing, get there anywhere from before to just after the park(s) open. At Disneyland, they open up Main Street first, then the other areas about 30-45 minutes after, which again also varies (and if the park opens early enough). If this happens, position yourselves in front of whatever land/rides you wish to go to first. Once the ropes drop, you got a good start to wherever you're going. Personally, I aim for low-capacity, popular rides first: Space Mountain, Star Tours, Roger Rabbit, Indy, and ESPECIALLY Matterhorn (no FastPass, slow line, extremely popular). As for CA, I'd aim for Screamin', Soarin', Toy Story and Tower of Terror, then go in whatever order you want. Little Mermaid eats up entire crowds, and most other flats tend to fill up in later hours. Expect Grizzly River Run to be deserted; ride at your own risk.

-Eventually, the parks will fill up and you will find yourselves in what appears to be an endless sea of human beings. When this occurs, I tend to take the time to browse the various shops and more quiet places until things kinda calm down after noon. Innovations, around/inside Fantasyland's castle walls and the area around Big Thunder Ranch tend to be good places to regather and refocus yourselves if you start to feel a bit overwhelmed. Now, rides like Pirates, Haunted Mansion and Little Mermaid move lines quickly, so that's an option if you need to go on something during crowds. Parades not only draw everyone's attention, but, in Disneyland, also divide the park in half momentarily, so plan accordingly. If you're staying the whole day, then I'd plan on possibly tagging up some rides during fireworks; just like parades, they attract a lot of attention, and are especially useful at keeping people standing still. Finally, do not underestimate the train; its got 4 stops, lands you right in the middle of big attractions, and all that's required is for you to hop on. So if your legs get sore, I'd definitely go for that.

-Shows, to me, are like a double-edged sword. On one hand, they're arguably some of the best outdoor shows Disney has ever made. On the other hand, they're also the best time to go on rides (outside of Mickey's Fun Wheel and everything on the Rivers of America), so there's that. If you want a good view of Fantasmic!, get to a good spot (water's edge, benches, edge of raised paths) about 30-45 minutes beforehand; they'll start announcing that the show is on its way if they hadn't said so already. As for World of Color, the same rule applies, only this time there's a good-sized park/plaza in front of Little Mermaid that's available.

-Of course, there is our famous Haunted Mansion Holiday, but the entire resort is literally decked-out in Christmas-y decor. Fantasyland gets caked in snow, Jungle Cruise turns into "Jingle Cruise" (at least last time I checked), Golden Horseshoe puts on a holiday show, Small World turns Christmas-y, Main Street gets holiday baked goodies, Cars Land gets taken over... the list goes on and on. There are so many little changes and activities that happen all over that you're bound to run into something one way or another (except in Tomorrowland, which is odd). Holiday season at Disneyland Resort, while being one of the most crowded times, is also one of the coolest times to go if you want to see Disney go all-out. If holiday stuff isn't your thing, don't worry; its good at grabbing attention. Except in Tomorrowland, where holidays don't exist (apparently).

Hope this helps ya out on your holiday plans!

You are picking one of the worst weeks of the year to visit the Disneyland Resort. No matter which day you pick, expect lines of 2 hours for headliners (possibly more in some cases) and 30-60 minutes for everything else. Before you read any further, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Have you visited Disneyland before? If so, when?

2. Will you likely have another opportunity to visit the park in the next couple years?

3. Are you willing to visit under the expectation that you may only get to experience 10-15 attractions per day?

If the answer to question 1 is yes and you've visited in the past 5 years, I recommend skipping it this trip. If the answer to question 2 is yes, same deal. If the answer to question 3 is no, save your money. However, if you do want to go I will tell you this: It is possible to visit the parks when it is busy and have a good time, but it will be more work than usual. I haven't visited during this particular period, but I did visit on Black Friday a few years ago and managed to do close to 40 rides in 16 hours, it just left me exhausted for the rest of the weekend. Most of these tips are based on that experience, so while conditions may be a little different they should overall be close enough.

As far as days to go, if you can manage to go on Christmas Day or even Christmas Eve, you may have slightly lower crowds. Other than that, the day probably won't matter as much. In general, weekdays are less crowded than weekends, but every day will be packed during this period. Disneyland doesn't often hit capacity, but it can happen during the end of December. Whatever you do, avoid New Year's Eve. Lastly, Disney California Adventure will probably be slightly less busy than Disneyland on any given day, so if one of your visits happens to be on a weekend do DCA on that day.

Now, for touring the parks when it is busy, keep the following in mind:

-GET THERE EARLY! If nothing else, do this. I'd recommend 90 minutes before opening in order to allow enough time to get parked, get to the park, and be in a decent spot at rope drop. You'll also find that you can probably get more done in the first two hours than you can in the following 6-8 if you are quick about it.

-I strongly recommend one park per day, not park hopping. If the park reaches capacity and you leave, you may be denied re-entry until crowds go down. Especially if you haven't visited before, each park has enough for a full day.

-Tour by areas. You'll want to minimize travel around the park as will take some time to cross it, so try to do all rides of interest in a particular area before moving on. You should only leave an area and return if you need to use a Fastpass before it expires.

-Use Fastpass and Single Rider, but don't rely on them. Once you get to mid-afternoon, Fastpasses will start running out. Single Rider lines may close at any time, and if you really want to ride you're better off waiting it out than chancing the Single Rider line reopening.

-Have a ride priority list. Look at the park's website with everyone you'll be visiting with and try to decide what attractions are must rides, time permitting, and skippable. For a first time visitor, I would consider the following the must see attractions:

Disneyland:

At least 2 Fantasyland Dark Rides

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Fantasmic!

Haunted Mansion

Indiana Jones Adventure

Pirates of the Caribbean

Space Mountain

Splash Mountain

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (if you haven't ridden it in Florida)

Disney California Adventure Park:

Aladdin (trust me, this show is not to be missed)

California Screamin' (for coaster people)

Radiator Springs Racers

Soarin' Over California (if you haven't ridden it in Florida)

Toy Story Midway Mania (if you haven't ridden it in Florida)

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

World of Color

-Lastly, if it's not obvious, if you've been to Walt Disney World don't waste time with any clone attractions. The only exception would be those listed above.

Now, for some specifics for each park...

Disneyland: Normally, I would advise going for a Space Mountain Fastpass first. However, due to crowds you'll want to make a beeline to Indiana Jones Adventure at rope drop and grab a Fastpass, then head to Tomorrowland. Do Star Tours and anything else of interest in Tomorrowland at this time. As soon as you can grab another Fastpass, get one for Space Mountain (don't be surprised if it isn't until mid-afternoon). Once you are done here, head over to the other side of the park and do the Frontierland and New Orleans Square attractions, as well as redeeming your Indiana Jones Fastpass. You may be tempted to use your next Fastpass for Haunted Mansion, but instead get one for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad whenever you can, and Splash Mountain after that. Do Fantasyland either before or during a parade, and avoid that section of the park immediately afterwards. Remember that Fantasyland and Toontown close during the fireworks, so keep that in mind (Fantasyland will reopen, Toontown usually doesn't). If you don't want to see Fireworks, that is a good time for anything you skipped earlier. For Fantasmic, go to the latest Fantasmic showing of the day and get there 45 minutes before for best views or 10 minutes before for decent views (anywhere from the riverboat dock to the courtyard in front of Haunted Mansion is good viewing for the show). After each Fantasmic showing and the fireworks, a large wave of people will leave the park, but I can't guarantee you will have a low period at the end of the day (it should get less crowded after 9-10 P.M., however).

Disney California Adventure Park: Most recommend getting a Fastpass for Radiator Springs Racers, but as long as the ride doesn't break down and you are there sufficiently early it will probably be quicker to go and ride first thing. After getting off the ride, go to Grizzly River Run and get a World of Color Fastpass, then backtrack to Soarin' Over California and get a Fastpass there (the World of Color Fastpass has no time restriction). You now have a choice: do you want to ride Toy Story Midway Mania? If yes, head to Paradise Pier and get a Fastpass for California Screamin' (as of my last visit, it worked), then ride Toy Story Midway Mania. Use Goofy's Sky School as your next Fastpass. If you don't care about Toy Story Midway Mania, head to Hollywood Land. When the timing is right, get a Tower of Terror Fastpass. See Aladdin when convenient: The show is 45 minutes, so I usually go to a showing that will enable me to use the Tower of Terror Fastpass immediately afterward. Once you've done one (Hollywood Land or Paradise Pier) switch and do the other (if you've got no Fastpasses upon arrival to Paradise Pier, grab one for Goofy's Sky School and then California Screamin'...you'll probably be able to hold both at once). Once you've done all this, you have free time until your World of Color showing. Be sure to get to the viewing area at least 30 minutes before showtime or you may be left with a bad view. Once World of Color is over, go back to anything you missed, though note that Paradise Pier will not reopen after the first World of Color showing (a few select rides may reopen between showings).

Hopefully this is helpful, and if you go then good luck! Try not to get discouraged by crowds and just try to enjoy yourself. After all, you're at the happiest place on Earth.

Pray for rain, it will thin out the locals a little.

best- indiana jones. the theming is so good its like...REAL!!!

worst- river rapids at pga. there is gum with pennies stuck it all over the place.

I think while some of the advice here is good, it's clear we need a little bit more information before we can really help more. Besides the questions already asked, besides the holiday Mansion and the shows, what else are YOU and your family interested in? How old/tall or your kids and what can they ride? If they are less worried about "big rides" like Space Mountain and Indy, that might make things a bit easier.

End of the day, though, as other people have said, this is seriously one of the worst most busy times of the year to go, and the dates you are asking about are probably the worst of that season. So no matter what you do, you really won't be able to "avoid crowds." It will me more about how to get the most out of your time and setting realistic expectations about your visit.

This is one of those perfect examples of why I wish that FP+ would come to Disneyland. Imagine even before going to the parks you were guaranteed a FastPass on at least three rides weeks in advance. I hope they are still moving forward with that system in SoCal.

Ok so we want to do everything we can, the kids aren't afraid of anything and they can ride everything. Soarin and Star Tours, or anything that can be done in Orlando we don't have to do besides Big Thunder, Space Mountain, and Tower of Terror (I think that's it) but if we have time we will definitely do them. With the dates thing, I wont be able to go back anytime in the next probably four years. We understand that it will be PACKED, and unfortunately that is the time we are there, there's no changing it. I have told everyone that we will be waiting all day, but we still are going to try. So I was thinking doing Disneyland on Christmas day, and then California Adventure the day after is that good? And here is a list of rides that I want to do. Ones with * means that its not a MUST. (in order of my personal priority if that helps yall)

Disneyland:

Indiana Jones

Space Mountain

Haunted Mansion

Matterhorn Bobsleds

Big Thunder Mountain

Toads Wild Ride

Alice in wonderland

Roger Rabbit

Pinocchio

FInding Nemo Submarines*

Peter Pans Flight *

Pirates of the Carribean*

Buzz Lightyear*

Snow White*

California Adventure:

Radiator Spring Racers

Tower of Terror

California Screamin

Mickey's Fun wheel

Little Mermaid

Monsters inc.

Soarin* (already did it in Orlando but if time I would like to do it)

Toy Story Mania* (Same as Soarin)

Luigi's Flying Tires*

Mater's Junkyard Jamboree*

Golden Zephyr*

EDIT never mind

Ok so we want to do everything we can, the kids aren't afraid of anything and they can ride everything. Soarin and Star Tours, or anything that can be done in Orlando we don't have to do besides Big Thunder, Space Mountain, and Tower of Terror (I think that's it) but if we have time we will definitely do them. With the dates thing, I wont be able to go back anytime in the next probably four years. We understand that it will be PACKED, and unfortunately that is the time we are there, there's no changing it. I have told everyone that we will be waiting all day, but we still are going to try. So I was thinking doing Disneyland on Christmas day, and then California Adventure the day after is that good? And here is a list of rides that I want to do. Ones with * means that its not a MUST. (in order of my personal priority if that helps yall)

 

Disneyland:

Indiana Jones

Space Mountain

Haunted Mansion

Matterhorn Bobsleds

Big Thunder Mountain

Toads Wild Ride

Alice in wonderland

Roger Rabbit

Pinocchio

FInding Nemo Submarines*

Peter Pans Flight *

Pirates of the Carribean*

Buzz Lightyear*

Snow White*

 

California Adventure:

Radiator Spring Racers

Tower of Terror

California Screamin

Mickey's Fun wheel

Little Mermaid

Monsters inc.

Soarin* (already did it in Orlando but if time I would like to do it)

Toy Story Mania* (Same as Soarin)

Luigi's Flying Tires*

Mater's Junkyard Jamboree*

Golden Zephyr*

I'd say that's a pretty reasonable list of what you can do in a day during this time period. Christmas Day and the day after should be just as good as any other time in that period, and I'd definitely pick Disneyland on Christmas Day as there is more to do at that park and it may be slightly less busy. Regardless, shoot for arriving at the resort 90 minutes before park opening on both days.

Have you ever heard of the website touringplans.com? The touring plan optimizer on the site (free, but you have to register) can take a list of attractions and put them in the best touring order based on your date of visit and other parameters (walking speed, scheduled breaks, arrival and departure times, etc.). It's not perfect and should only be used as a guideline, but if you allow a couple hours of reserve time you'll probably complete at least 90% of the plan and if you have a smartphone you can re-optimize it after each attraction based on real-time data. I just went ahead and stuck your priority lists in (along with a few other attractions) and based on it and my experience at the park I'd suggest something similar to the following:

Disneyland:

1. Indiana Jones Adventure

2. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Fastpass (estimated return start time in 10-11 A.M. window)

3. Haunted Mansion Holiday

4. Splash Mountain (if you want to ride)

5. Pirates of the Caribbean

6. Use your Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Fastpass

7. Space Mountain Fastpass (estimated return start time in the 12-1 P.M. window)

8. Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (skip if line exceeds 45 minutes)

9. Snow White's Scary Adventures & Pinocchio's Daring Journey (either order...skip if line exceeds 30 minutes)

10. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (skip if line exceeds 45 minutes)

11. Star Tours Fastpass (if desired...estimated return start time in the 6-7 P.M. window)

12. Use your Space Mountain Fastpass

13. When you can, get a Roger Rabbit's Car-Toon Spin Fastpass

14. Peter Pan's Flight & Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (either order...skip if line exceeds 45 minutes)

15. Matterhorn Bobsleds (use Single Rider if line exceeds 30 minutes unless you need to kill time)

16. Use your Roger Rabbit's Car-Toon Spin Fastpass

17. Alice in Wonderland

18. It's a Small World Holiday (if you want to ride)

19. Use your Star Tours Fastpass (if you have one)

20. Free time (see latest Fantasmic showing)

Disney California Adventure Park:

1. Radiator Springs Racers (don't get a Fastpass, just wait it out)

2. Luigi's Flying Tires (skip if line exceeds 30 minutes...not worth more than that)

3. Get your World of Color Showpass at Grizzly River Run

4. Goofy's Sky School Fastpass (if you want the credit, otherwise grab one for California Screamin')

5. Toy Story Mania (skip if line exceeds 30 minutes)

6. California Screamin'

7. Fun Wheel

8. Use your Goofy's Sky School Fastpass (if you have one)

9. Golden Zephyr (skip this if the wait is more than 15 minutes...not worth more time than that)

10. The Little Mermaid

11. Tower of Terror Fastpass

12. Monsters Inc.

13. Mater's Junkyard Jamboree (skip if line exceeds 30 minutes)

14. Soarin' Over California (skip if wait would compromise Tower of Terror Fastpass)

15. Use your Tower of Terror Fastpass

16. Free time until World of Color (I recommend seeing Aladdin if convenient as well)

I usually suggest touring somewhat flexibly, so don't use this as a rigid order, but the more crowded the park is the more important it is to have a good plan of attack.